FAS Roundup: May 29

FAS Roundup: May 29, 2012

Investigation into leak of Israel-Iran information, NATO's nuclear Groundhog Day, new CRS reports and much more.

From the Blogs Restrictions on WikiLeaks Documents Challenged in Court: Steven Aftergood writes that the publication of leaked classified documents by WikiLeaks continues to confound government officials and to generate some unusual legal tangles. Last month, attorneys for a Guantanamo prisoner asked a federal court to nullify the restrictions that the government has imposed on access to and dissemination of the leaked records, so that the prisoner can prepare a response to the disclosures contained in them. Hundreds of files pertaining to prisoners at Guantanamo have been posted online by WikiLeaks. NATO's Nuclear Groundhog Day?: Does NATO have a hard time waking up from its nuclear past? It would seem so. Hans Kristensen writes that the NATO alliance reaffirmed the nuclear status quo in Europe by ordering the deployment of nearly 200 U.S. non-strategic nuclear bombs in Europe that were left behind by arms reductions two decades ago. Army Updates Oversight of "Sensitive Information": In a directive issued last week, Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh established a new Army Special Programs Directorate (ASPD) to administer and oversee special access programs and other “sensitive activities” conducted by the Army. The new Directorate is the successor organization to the former Technology Management Office, which performed many of the same functions. House Votes to Require Leak Investigation on Israel-Iran Info: Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted an amendment to require the Attorney General to conduct a criminal investigation into “leaks of sensitive information involving the military, intelligence, and operational capabilities of the United States and Israel.” Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), who sponsored the amendment to the FY2013 defense authorization act, cited stories based on leaks concerning a potential Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities that were published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Foreign Policy. Who's Next?: In a new post on the ScienceWonk blog, Dr. Y examines the history and use of ballistic missile boats (also called boomers) by the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France. Proliferation of Precision Strike and More from CRS: Secrecy News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such as the domestic terrorist threat, the cost of presidential travel, U.S.-Vietnam relations in 2011 and intelligence authorization legislation. Immune Defense is Ready to Play: Teachers, the beta version of Immune Defense is now ready for play and evaluation. Immune Defense is a game that teaches the function of white blood cells. For more information on Immune Defense, click here. Former Secrecy Czar Asks Court to Release NSA Document: The former director of the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) asked a federal court for permission to disclose a National Security Agency document that he said represented an egregious example of overclassification. J. William Leonard was the ISOO director, or what is sometimes called the “classification czar,” from 2002-2008.  In that role, he was responsible to the President of the United States for oversight of classification policy and enforcement of classification standards throughout the executive branch.

Event FAS is partnering with the Atomic Heritage Foundation and the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University to host the event, “Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences” on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 from 10am-12pm in Washington, DC. The program will focus on the life and legacy of nuclear physicist Joseph Rotblat (1908-2005); his dedication to world peace and reducing the threat of nuclear weapons as the founder and driving force behind the international Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs for six decades.  The program will consider the Pugwash Conferences’ contributions to ending the Cold War and reducing the nuclear threat in the post-Cold War world. For more information on the program, click here. To RSVP, please contact the Atomic Heritage Foundation at 202-293-0045 or via e-mail at info@atomicheritage.org.

FAS in the News May 24:  Arkansas Times, "New Attention to Tom Cotton, No Press Champion" May 23: United Press International (UPI), "War-torn Yemen On Brink Of Human Calamity" May 23: CNN, "Deadly Drones and the 'Classified' Conundrum" May 22: The New Republic, "Defining Weaponization Down: Why We Should Be Wary of 'Successful' Nuclear Negotiations With Iran"